Expert opinion is starting to change on the practice of removing wisdom teeth. I've always felt it was kind of a scam and felt no need to have them removed when there wasn't a problem. I'm not going to have someone rip something out of my skull unless there's a good reason. My father and grandfather never had theirs removed either, never had a problem. It's funny I'm a grown adult and the dentist still tries to talk me into having them removed every time I go.

My dentist when I was a kid said there was room for them, just leave them in. They grew in mostly straight, but I was "cutting teeth" for 10 goddamn years. Once they stopped pushing further through, it still sucked because they had just enough of an outward angle that I would occasionally bite the shit out of my cheek and it would swell up, making me more likely to bite the same spot again.

I had them taken out more than 20 years after my first dipshit dentist recommended leaving them in. They came out easily, and didn't even hurt afterward. It was well worth it to have them removed. Thankfully I had dental coverage that paid for it. IIRC, my copay was about 50 bucks, but I would have paid the full $750 to get rid of them.

Mine were all growing sideways and were partially under the gums. Also, because they were growing sideways, they were damaging the next tooth in line. It was also fucking painful, which was what forced me to get them fixed. It was pretty easy for even a pleb like me to see from the x-rays alone that they needed to come out.

Went under general anaesthetic and got it done in a local hospital's operating theatre, got all 4 removed, was high as a kite when I woke up, and ate nothing but icecream for the next few days. The painkillers meant I couldn't drive, so I lost a week of work. But now everything is great.

I didn't have insurance, and couldn't go on the public system (which also has a few months wait time), so had to pay in full (2k total). What was really surprising was how fast things go when you pay cash. Saw the dentist/specialist Friday afternoon. He asked if I could do Monday, and I'm like, "yeah, I can wait a week and a few days", "No, no, no, next Monday, after the weekend." When I read the paperwork there was a requirement that the money be paid 10 working days in advance...

This is slightly funny because I havent had my wisdom teeth out yet and Im 32 and I apparently have an infection in my mouth right now and have to schedule a surgery to have them removed. Taking antibiotics to kill the infection.